From the developers that made the peaceful “Stardew Valley” comes a game that has you putting down your watering can and picking up a sword. “Wargroove” is a turn-based strategy game. The game is similar to the old Nintendo series “Advance Wars” that came out on their Gameboy Advance and DS systems, but with a twist. Your commander for each battle will lead the charge in the fray, you have between 12 commanders to choose from and three from each kingdom.

The story mode takes place on the fictional continent of Aurania and starts you off controlling a rogue assassin from the Felhiem Legion. After sneaking into the castle of the kingdom Cherrystone to kill the king, his daughter, Mercia, is crowned queen and instantly fights back against the Felhiem invasion. With the swordsmen of the kingdom, she must defeat Lord Valder and avenge her father. Overrun by Valder’s troops, Mercia must flee with the refugees toward the Gloomwoods, and then to the Empire of Heavensong, a longtime ally of Cherrystone. Cherrystone and its residents face bad luck at every turn, first being invaded then attacked each time they go to a new kingdom due to the actions of the savage Sedge, a ruthless, bloodthirsty floran.

The story consists of 20 main story missions and 13 optional side missions. The story is told through cut scenes at the beginning and end of each battle along with a few lines of dialogue during many of the battles. As you play through the story you will gain allies from each kingdom and get access to more types of ground, air and aquatic troops each with their own strength. Depending on how you choose your troops in each battle, you could end the story with an army of knights, a flock of dragons and a fleet of warships. Each type of unit has a critical hit which, unlike “Pokémon,” is guaranteed should certain conditions be fulfilled granting increased damage. For example, the dragon’s critical hit is when the unit it attacking is standing on the road. You could have the satisfaction of cooking the enemy army with dragon fire.

The game also features an arcade mode where you can play a series of battles as one of the commanders available in the main story, unlocking more as you progress. You will go through five battles with an overarching story that is similar, but not exactly the same, as the main story. There is also a puzzle mode that puts you in a battle with limited troops and, should you fail to win in only one turn, you will instantly be greeted with defeat. This mode is made for master strategists, not for the casual gamer.

The online mode lets you play against other people who have PlayStation Plus, Xbox Live, Nintendo Switch or PC. You can play cross-platform with anyone who has a PC, Nintendo Switch or Xbox. What makes online mode truly great is asynchronous battles. This means you can take your turn, turn off your console, go to bed and your opponent takes their turn the next time you turn the game on. You now have the benefit of no longer needing to complete the battle in one play session, due to battles lasting possibly for a few hours. Now you can do your turn whenever you have time and not have to worry about lack of sleep or being late for work.

Overall, this is a great game with battles that can last for 40 plus turns. You could lose five times in a row and just rush in recklessly, throwing away any strategy you had, and win on your first try. The story will get you hooked on this type of turn-based play, but it is in the multiplayer that this game truly shines. You can play with up to four friends in the same room or against a complete stranger somewhere across the globe. The developers have already said they are looking into DLC for this game so they are continuing to work on this fantastic game.

Email Patrick at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @PaterickKline.